The Uptown restaurant's po-boy comes on a crusty Dong Phuong roll that's a bit bigger than a large man's fist. The sandwich is big enough to satisfy but not so filling that you can't keep sampling afterwards at other booths. Inside is dripping and piping-hot roast beef. That's topped with horseradish cream, which has a sharp bite, and tangy pickled red onions.

The luxury French Quarter restaurant, a collaboration between Louisiana's John Folse and Chicago's Rick Tramonto, made an upscale take on the classic roast beef po-boy. The beef and the mini-Leidenheimer loaf are traditional. But the slaw on top has a truffled aioli. In the end, though, there was more bread than beef. And the slaw was too tame to add enough interest.